Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
STUDENT WALKOUT
STUDENT WALKOUT. Dubuque senior high students at DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL and WAHLERT CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL took part in a statewide walkout on March 1, 2023 to protest Iowa education bills they believed discriminated against LGBTQ+ individuals. They were joined by college students in protest of a bill that would ban gender identity and sexual development from health education for elementary school students and require schools to receive parental approval before referring to transgender students by their identified gender, among other measures. A subcommittee of the House Education Committee had also advanced a companion bill. Republicans in the Legislature claimed the bills would protect parental choice and privacy in schools.
The statewide protests were organized by Iowa WTE, a coalition of young people that fought "discriminatory legislation" according to social media accounts maintained by the group and the Iowa Queer Student Alliance. Most of the students involved in the walkout informed their teachers of their intended action. During the walkout lasting an estimated 40 minutes, students at Senior held signs and Pride flags. Later the students stood against a wall and chanted "Queer rights are human rights."
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Source:
Kelsey, Elizabeth, "Dubuque Students Participate in Walkout to Protest Iowa Education Bills," Telegraph Herald, March 2, 2023, p. 2